Understanding Medicaid and Its Eligibility Criteria

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Home Care Assistance

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program to provide free or low-cost health coverage to families, elderly and people with limited income and resources and individuals with physical disability. Unlike Medicare, Medicaid offers benefits such as personal care services and nursing home care. If you or a loved one in the family suffers from a progressive disorder such as Parkinson’s or Dementia and needs 24-hour home health care, Medicaid could provide them monetary aid for treatment and home care assistance. To help you understand this joint and federal state program in a better way, we have shared the overview in the blog post. Take a look.

More About Medicaid

Medicaid is the largest source of health-related and medical services that provides free health insurance to more than 74 million disabled and low-income individuals. All the U.S. citizens and legal residents who have income up to 133 percent of poverty line qualify for the Medicaid program.

Applying for Medicaid

While some states provide Medicaid for some low-income people, pregnant women, families and children, the program covers all the low-income individuals in other states. Here are the steps to apply for Medicaid:

Visit the Medicaid website of your state and check the qualification criteria

If you qualify for the coverage, fill out the Marketplace application form and the department will inform if you are eligible for the Medicaid program. It will also inform the state agency, so that you can enroll for the cover

For applicant who don’t qualify for Medicaid, the department will inform if they qualify for financial help to buy a Marketplace health plan

Dual Eligibility

Some applicants are eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, thus called “dual eligibles”. If you qualify for both the programs, most of the medical expenses will be covered. Medicaid will cover a few drugs and care services that Medicare doesn’t cover.

The Payment

If you are eligible for both the programs, remember that Medicaid will not pay first for the services that come under Medicare. It will pay only after Medigap Insurance, employer group health plans and Medicare have made the payment.

Wrapping Up

A 2017 survey revealed that Medicaid has improved the health and financial security of recipients. If you or a loved one requires 24-hour home health care, hospice support or any other form of care to deal with Dementia, Parkinson’s or other progressive disorder, it’s time to apply for Medicaid. Home Care Assistance will be happy to provide you with the details about Medicaid and offer customized home care services to improve the quality of life. Simply call (214) 253-8784 and we will ensure that you get a prompt assistance.